Yoga Nidra
100-Hour Online Teacher Training & Practicum
Dates: January - August 2026
By popular request, I am going to be offering the full-length yoga nidra training again in 2026. The training will be capped at 12 students and spaces are first come, first serve.
Have you fallen in love with yoga nidra and decided that you want to learn more about this powerful practice? Have you attended a yoga nidra teacher training but don’t yet feel confident creating your own classes or teaching without a script? Do you want to offer yoga nidra teacher training programs at your local studio or to your online community? If you answered “yes” to any of these three questions, this training may be for you.
Course Goals:
1. To immerse you in the practice of yoga nidra and the healing power of conscious rest and to engage you in a process of self-reflection
2. To provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the history, philosophy, and science informing contemporary yoga nidra practice
3. To nourish your creativity, encourage your authenticity, and prepare you to confidently create and teach yoga nidra classes
4. To equip you to provide well-researched and intelligently designed yoga nidra teacher training to your own community.
If you interested in learning more about this training or would like to apply for this training, kindly send a message via the contact page of this website. I would love to have you! See below for more information:
Meeting Time and Zoom Link
• Wednesdays 12-2 p.m. (Please reach out if this time does not work for you as I may be providing a second option)
Time Commitment:
• 2-hour Weekly Zoom Meeting
• 1-2 hours per week of Required Homework including both personal practice & study
Course Format
The format of the weekly Zoom meeting will shift from week-to-week depending upon where we are in the course. It will consist of the following elements in varying proportions:
• Lecture
• Guided Asana, Pranayama, & Yoga Nidra Practice
• Q & A
• Reflection Time
• Practice Teaching
• Giving & Receiving Feedback on Teaching
Topics Covered:
The lecture content of this course is approximately half yoga history, philosophy and tradition and half Western science and research.
History, Philosophy, & Tradition Informing Contemporary Yoga Nidra
• History of Yoga Nidra
• The Mystical Discoveries of the Upanishads
• Pancha Kosha Theory
• Samkhya Philosophy
• Pancha Bhuta (5 Elements)
• Intro to Tantra
• The Nadi System
• Pancha Prana (5 Vayus)
• Antahkarana and the Yogic Model of the Mind
• Vasanas & Samskaras & Moving Beyond Conditioning
• Maya & the Gunas
• Three Bodies Doctrine and Samsara
• Intro to Mantra & Exposition of Aum
• Mandukya Upanishad & States of Consciousness
• Sankalpa Shakti
Western Science as It Relates to Yoga Nidra
• Autonomic Nervous System and the Stress Response
• Central Nervous System
• Anatomy of the Brain
• Science of Sleep Including Cycles, Stages, Benefits and More
• Circadian and Ultradian Rhythms
• Spotlight on Neurotransmitters
• Spotlight on Neuroplasticity
• Breath and the Nervous System
• Interoception: How do I feel?
• Co-Regulation, Self-Regulation, and Interpersonal Neurobiology
• Anatomy of the Vagus Nerve and Polyvagal Theory
• Science of Pain and Working with Chronic Pain
• Mental Health and Yoga Nidra
Attendance Policy
Attendance at 70% of the live sessions is required for successful completion of this course. If you need to miss more than 8 meetings (and know this in advance), please reach out to me ahead of time for pre-approval. Hopefully you will love the course so much that you'll want to be at every session you possibly can!
Continuing Education Credits: 100 Contact Hours
• 60 hours of synchronous learning
• 40 hours asynchronous learning & practice
Training Includes:
• Over 40 Original Yoga Nidra Scripts That You Can Use With Your Students
• *However by the end of this training, you will have enough understanding and practice that you will not need to use scripts!
• Training manual
• A generous selection of practices each week to support your embodied experience of the material you are learning including gentle, hatha, vinyasa, yin, restorative, myofascial release, kundalini, pranayama, meditation and more
Group Size:
This Training is capped at 12 students. Spaces are first come, first serve. A non-refundable deposit of $250 is required to reserve your spot.
KINDLY NOTE: This training requires a minimum of 8 participants to run. In the event the training is cancelled, you will immediately receive a full refund for any deposit + tuition paid.
Financial Investment:
Tuition: $1,950
• Non-refundable Deposit: $250 due upon sign-up (this reserves your space in the training)
• Remaining Balance: $1700 due on or before November 30th, 2025
• Early Bird: Save $450 if paid in full by September 30th, 2025
Cost Exemption:
Please note: If you are enrolled in the 1,000-hour Advanced Training, you have access to this course at no extra charge.
Payment:
• Payments can be made via venmo, Zelle, or personal check.
Recommendations for Getting the Most out of the Course
I encourage you to be almost ceremonial about how you prepare for our live meetings! By this I mean, carve out the space in your life - both mentally and physically - such that these two hours are set aside in your week as a sacred time for inward exploration… an oasis of restoration and renewal.
Practice Space
Find an area of your home where you will be undisturbed. And adorn this space with anything that creates a feeling of nurturance and safety for you. Let your family know that you will be unavailable during our weekly meetings. Turn off your phone. You may even wish to create a "do not disturb" sign to hang on the door. If it is likely to be noisy at home, perhaps invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
Attire
Wear comfortable clothes with soft fabrics that feel particularly good against your skin. Invest in a weightless, silk eye pillow perhaps. We will be moving in each session but there won't be anything too strenuous.
Props
I recommend having a mat, a bolster or firm pillow (I love the Manduka "enlight" round bolster) to go under your thighs, a blanket to go under the head, a blanket to place over top of you, and a relatively weightless eye mask. You will also need: a pair of yoga tune-up therapy balls and a coregeous ball. Please save the straw that comes with your coregeous ball as we will be using it. Here's a link to each of these tools:
https://www.tuneupfitness.com/yoga-tune-up-therapy-ball-pair
https://www.tuneupfitness.com/coregeous-ball
Personal practice
A deep immersion into the practice of yoga nidra enables you to teach from a place of embodied understanding. It is also bound to initiate effortless and profoundly positive changes in your life. This course will help you to develop a regular practice if you do not already have one.
Optional Reading:
• Nidra Shakti: The Power of Rest – An Illustrated Encyclopedia by Uma Dinsmore Tuli
• Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation & Awakened Clarity by Tracee Stanley
• Body by Breath: The Science and Practice of Physical and Emotional Resilience by Jill Miller
• Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep by Kamini Desai
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep & Dreams by Matthew Walker
• Yoga Nidra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
• Yoga Nidra: A Meditative Practice for Deep Relaxation & Healing by Richard Miller
I would be thrilled to have you join me for this deep dive into the mysterious and fertile realm of yoga nidra! In the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have to help you determine if this course is the right fit for you.
Caroline
100-Hour Yoga Nidra Training & Practicum
Tentative Syllabus
Welcome
• Introductions
• Prop Set-Ups for Yoga Nidra
• Means vs. State
• Deep Roots, Modern Interpretations
Week 1 The Mystery of the Unknown
• Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
• Rapid Alternate Nostril Breath
• What is Yoga Nidra?
• Basic Sequencing Template for Yoga Nidra
Week 2 Pancha Kosha – Layers of Subtlety
• Yoga Nidra and the 8 Limbs
• Best Preparatory Practices for Yoga Nidra
• Mystical Discoveries of the Upanishads
• 4 Mahavakyas
• Pancha Kosha – A Map of Embodiment
Week 3 The Seer & the Seen
• Samkhya Philosophy of Creation
• Intro to Annamayakosha
Week 4 & 5 Pancha Bhuta – 5 Elements Pts. 1 & 2
• Annamayakosha cont.’
• 5 Elements & the Koshas
• 5 Elements & the Chakras
Week 6 The Nadis – Rivers of Energy
• Intro to Pranamayakosha
• Nadis – Ida, Pingala, Shushumna
Week 7 Chakras – Wheels of Transformation
• Pranamayakosha cont.’
• Path of Liberation, Path of Manifestation
Week 8 Beyond Opposites
• Intro to Manomayakosha
• Yogic Model of the Mind: Manas, Ahamkara, Buddhi, Chitta
Week 9 A Light in the Dark
• Intro to Vijnanamayakosha, Avijnanamayakosha & Anandamayakosha
• Vasanas & Samksaras: Moving Beyond Conditioning
Week 10 Anandamayakosha
• Lotus at the Heart
Week 11 Sankalpa
• Sankalpa Workshop
• 4 Purusharthas – Aims of Life
• Golden Egg
Week 12 I am not the doer
• Gunas – The 3 Expressions of Prakriti
• Koshas, 3 Bodies & Reincarnation
Week 13 Intentions and Stages of Yoga Nidra
• Scriptural Referecnes & Definitions of Yoga Nidra
• Aims of Practice
• Brainwaves
• Stages of Yoga Nidra
Week 14 Teaching Yoga Nidra
• A Closer Look at Sequencing
• Overview of Different Teachers and Methods Today
• Guidelines for Giving & Receiving Feedback
Week 15 Yoga Nidra: A Healing Salve for Our Stressed-Out World
• Intro to the Autonomic Nervous System
• Homesostatis
• Eustress & Distress
• A Closer Look at the Stress Response
Week 16 Turn On Your Off Switch
• Anatomy of the Vagus Nerve
• Activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Week 17 Our Amazing Brains
• Anatomy of the Brain
• Brain Network Theory
• Mechanisms of Change
Week 18 How do I feel?
• Neurotransmitters: The Chemical Messengers of Our Body-Mind
• A Closer Look at Neuroplasticity
Week 19 Self-Regulation
• Arousal
• Regulation of Breathing
• Autonomic Flexibility
• Working with breath in yoga nidra
Week 20 True Refuge
• Intro to Polyvagal Theory
• Modes of Sensory Perception
• Top-Down & Bottom-Up
• Establishing Safety
Week 21 Elixir of Sleep
• Nature’s Pharmacy - Benefits of Sleep
• Stages of Sleep
• Sleep & Memory
• Glymphatic System
• Alzheimer’s & Sleep
• Stages of Sleep as they relate to Yoga Nidra
Week 22 Nurturing Creativity
• Exploration vs. Exploitation
• Divergent & Convergent Thinking
• Dopamine & the Nigrostriatal Pathway
Week 23 This Little Light of Mine
• Yoga Nidra and Mental Health
• Application: Depression, Anxiety, Addiction, Trauma
Week 24 Treasure Chest
• Benefits of Yoga Nidra
• Research Findings
• Scope of Practice & Ethics of Student-Teacher Relationship
Week 25 Beyond Waking, Dreaming & Sleeping
• A Closer Look at the Mandukya Upanishad
• Om & 4 states of Consciousness
Week 26 Auspicious Moments
• Potency of Transitions
• Sharing Yoga in Your Community Q & A
• Closing Circle